When a Frozen Heart Melts
by Zujheng
Summary: After Pitch was defeated, Jack Frost's life pretty much went back to the way it was before. Except for the fact that he now had to look after a toddler he'd found alone in the cold. Will the Spirit of Winter be able to handle the responsibilities, or will he turn to his friends for help? And when the girl suddenly disappears, how will he handle it? Jack FrostxOC
1. Chapter 1

Winter had finally arrived, the coolest season of them all, literally. The leaves were falling, snow was piling and the air was chilly. Jack Frost loved the first week of winter. Burgess was the first place he came to before traveling the world to spread snow across the globe.

He couldn't wait to see the Bennett's again. He was only able to visit them once a year, and that was as soon as Winter arrived, so Jack loved to spend as much time with the siblings as he possibly could before returning to work.

Of course, the thought of them not believing in him anymore always crossed his mind every year, but it still didn't stop him from seeing his first believers. All he could do was hope that they still had faith.

Jack's laugh carried across the sky as the wind lifted him up over trees and weaved through the busy streets. He pushed off the side of a building with his feet to steer him in a new direction, dodging around an old lady walking across the road. He stretched his arm out and hooked the end of his staff around a pole, spinning several times before letting go and shooting up higher into the sky.

Jack slowed down before drifting towards a familiar house, quietly landing on the slanted roof before looking over the edge. Down in the yard were two figures, one dressed in bright, vivid colors while the other was wrapped in calmer, more neutral colors.

The Winter Spirit instantly recognized the two and grinned from ear to ear before scooping up some snow and shaping it into a ball. He blew the tiniest touch of frost over it before standing back up and pegging the snowball.

A faint 'oof' was audible, followed by a loud thud as one of the two people fell face first to the ground from the impact.

"Hey!" They yelled, scrambling back onto their feet and brushing themselves off. Both turned around and looked up at the roof, brown eyes and green eyes meeting with familiar icy blue ones.

"Jack!" They chorused, their faces lighting up. The Guardian chuckled and flew off the roof, placing the tip of his staff on the ground before balancing on the hooked end of it.

"Hey guys, ya miss me?" Jack asked, a smug grin in place.

"Yeah!" They replied, charging towards their white-haired friend.

"Hey now wait just a- whoa!" Jack was cut off as the kids jumped at him and knocked him to the ground, his staff sliding across the yard and out of his reach.

The siblings laughed and climbed off the huffing Winter Spirit, allowing him to breath once more. "I'm really glad you came!" Jamie exclaimed, grabbing the Guardians hand and helping him up.

"Don't I always?" Jack wheezed, reaching for his stick once he was standing so he could lean against it to get his breath back.

"You sure do!" Sophie cried happily, bouncing with joy. Jack smiled at the girl before turning his attention to the boy. When he noticed that Jamie was looking anywhere but at him his smile quickly fell and he crouched in front of the kid.

"What up, Jamie?" Jack questioned, tilting his head to the side as he looked up at the boy with a frown.

"It's just...sometimes I wonder if maybe...you'll be too busy to play with us one year...and you won't come at all." Jamie mumbled quietly, turning his head away from the Winter Spirit. Jack glanced behind the boy to see Sophie also looking slightly upset. He placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder and tilted his head to the other side so he could see his face.

"Hey...I'm always going to be here for you guys. I'm always going to have time to hang with you, no matter how busy I get." Jack assured the boy, giving him a small smile.

"Promise?" Jack looked back at the girl who'd spoken up. His smile widened and he held one arm open.

"Yeah Soph, I promise." Sophie grinned and ran over to give him a hug. Jack glanced at Jamie and pulled him into the hug with the hand that was still on his shoulder. Jamie laughed and hugged back before both the kids stepped back.

"So, we good now?" Jack asked, twirling his staff once before swinging it over his shoulder and resting his arms along it.

"Yeah, we're good." Jamie responded while Sophie smiled and nodded.

"That's more like that it! Now, who wants to have fun?" The Winter Spirit rose into the air and landed on the wooden fence, walking the length of it.

"We do, we do!" The siblings chorused excitedly. Jack laughed and swung his staff in a wide circle, blasts of snow shooting up into the sky before slowly falling back down as delicate snowflakes.

The children laughed and jumped around in circles, trying to catch the intricate flakes on their tongues. Jack laughed at the sight and created a snowball, swiftly throwing it at the back of Jamie's head, starting a huge snowball fight that lasted well over three hours.

By the time the children were exhausted and out of breath, the sun had begun to slowly fall behind the horizon, signaling for Jack Frost to leave.  
"Aww, do you really have to go?" They whined in unison, earning a quiet laugh from the Guardian.

"You guys already know the answer to that one. Besides, there's other kids out there waiting for me to bring them the best part of Winter." Jack informed them. He was sitting on the seat of the swing in their backyard, tapping at the ground with his staff and making small dots of frost cover the grass.

The siblings sighed heavily and their shoulders slumped. Jack chuckled and lightly pushed against Jamie's shoulder with his hand. "Come on now, don't go getting all mopey on me. I'll come back next year, like I always do."

"Jamie! Sophie! Dinner's ready!" All three of them turned to see Mrs Bennett standing on the front porch, leaning over the railing to see her kids in the backyard.

"Coming mum!" Jamie called before turning back to Jack. "Same time next year?"

Jack gave him a crooked smile and ruffled the boy's hair. "Same time next year." He confirmed.

"Who are you talking to?" Their mother questioned.

Jack grinned, and so did the children as they responded with, "Jack Frost!" He could hear their mother laughing before she called for them to come inside once more.

The siblings turned and ran to the front door, looking over their shoulders as they eagerly waved goodbye. Jack waved back before standing and letting the wind carry him up above the house.

* * *

Bringing snow to the world was a long and tiresome job, but it made Jack happy to think of the kid's smiling faces when they awoke to their first snow day of Winter. The Guardian was now at the last town and spreading snow in every direction.

Jack flew down and hovered above the last remaining lake, touching his staff to the water as he flew backwards in a wide circle to cover every inch with frost. Satisfied with his work, he flew back up and over the town.

His plan was to head back home for a well earned rest, but the sound of a trashcan being knocked over caught the Winter Spirit's attention, and he had to investigate. Jack landed on the roof of a nearby house, sliding to the edge to look in an alley between two houses.

There was a person huddled under a tattered cloak, and they were holding something protectively against their chest as they struggled to walk through the now thick layer of snow.

Curiosity piqued, Jack slowly drifted to the ground, following behind the stranger. Their foot got caught on something and they fell into the snow. Jack outstretched his arms to help them but then quickly realized that they couldn't see him, so he couldn't touch them.

Jack watched as the person, who he now noticed was a woman, struggle to get back up and keep moving. Once they came to a fairly old stone building the woman drew in a shaky breath and collapsed onto the stairs, clutching tightly to the bundled thing in her arms.

The Guardian furrowed his brows in confusion, wondering what someone was doing outside this late at night. A sudden cough caught Jack's attention, and a small, pale hand stretched up out of the blankets, trying to grab something.

Jack's eyes widened as he clutched at his staff with both hands and leaned against it. It was a child. The woman was carrying a child in the dead of the night. Why?

He watched in silence as the woman grabbed the child's hand and held it to her face, cooing quietly to the little human. The body under the blankets stopped squirming and the hand tucked itself back into the warmth of the material as another cough emitted from the sickly woman.

The Winter Spirit could do nothing but watch as the woman gently placed the cocooned child in the snow next to the steps, her frail arms shaking violently as she pushed herself up and stumbled away from the child.

"Wait...where are you going?" Jack asked, straightening up as he looked back and forth between the child and the woman. "What are you doing? You can't just leave them here. Hey!"

Jack lept across the ground and landed in front of the person, frowning at them. "Why are you-" He gasped as they passed right through him, leaving a cold, painful stinging sensation behind as they continued forth. "...leaving." He finished quietly. He knew it was pointless to even try.

The sound of a roaring engine brought the boy out of his confused stated and he turned to see an old black car pull up on the side of the road. Two people stepped outside, a man and a woman, and they trudged up the snow covered steps and stood at the door of the stone building.  
Now that the place was lit up by the lights of the car, Jack could see properly. He stared at the rusty sign that said 'Orphanage' in black letters that has been chipped away from the harshness of the seasons over the years.

"Are you sure there's nothing we can do?" A woman's voice drifted to the Winter Spirit and he turned to face the two new strangers.  
"I'm sorry...we just don't have the money to keep this place running anymore." The man replied, his voice heavy with regret. Jack's brows creased with worry. Not enough money? They were closing it down? He glanced towards the child at the side of the steps, the heavily falling snow quickly engulfing it's still form.

"I just feel so sorry for those poor kids." The woman sobbed, wiping at her eyes with a tissue she'd pulled from her pocket. She watched with sadness and guilt in her puffy red eyes as the man nailed a sign to the door.

"I know, but there's nothing we can do. Let's go." He picked up his toolbox when he was done and gave the woman a comforting hug.

Jack floated up to the door, peering closely at the sign. 'Closed' was the only word written on it. He turned when he heard retreating footsteps and quickly followed them, circling several times as he floated in the air.

"Hey, wait a moment." There's no point in trying.

"Stop! There's a child here that needs your help." They can't hear me. He watched in horror as they climbed into the car and drove off down the street.

"You can't just leave them here!" He yelled after them, but they never stopped. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. He couldn't believe they just left like that. How did they not notice the child?

Jack exhaled deeply and paced the width of the stairs, twirling his staff with one hand while he pulled at his hair with the other. "Okay. Okay, okay, okay. I need to think of something. And fast."

He paced for a moment longer, but when it got him nowhere he huffed and pulled tighter on his hair. "Come on, think! Think of something!" He shouted, willing his brain to come up with an idea.

The Guardian stopped and crouched next to the bundled up blankets laying in the snow. What could he do? There was no one else around, and even if there was he couldn't speak to them. He'd just be invisible. The only other option was to take them with him. But he had nowhere warm to keep the child. Unless...

Jack placed his staff down and gently scooped the child up, brushing as much snow off the blankets as he could before cradling the human in his arms. "It's alright. Everything's going to be fine." Jack whispered to the child, blinking in surprise when said child sneezed.

He made sure that the blanket was secure before reaching for his staff and jumping into the wind, flying away from the small, dark town. Jack knew that human's this young wouldn't survive for long in these weather conditions; and being the wielder of everything cold he had no way of warming the child up.

The Winter Spirit clutched the child to his chest and flipped over so he was now flying backwards, using his body to block out the chilling winds. He just hoped he could make it in time.

* * *

**First off, hey everyone. I'm new to this site, but hopefully it won't take me long to get the hang of it. **

**Second, I usually only post on Quizilla, but I've noticed that it's not as active as it once was...so I thought I'd try a different sight. Of course, this story is still going to be published on my Quizilla account, so if any of you wish to check it out over there feel free to do so. (My account name is the same)**

**And last but not least, I'm not _really_ supposed to be writing this, due to the fact that I have many other stories (Fanfic and original) to be working on. But ROTG is a great film, and I just had to do something with it. So I hope I do the movie justice. And following what I just said, I should be (hopefully) posting a new chapter up every week. I can't pinpoint a particular day, but I will try my absolute hardest to stay by the 'once a week' schedule. If I cannot, then I will notify you of the changes so you're aware.  
**

**Now that I'm done with the boring AN, the last thing I want to say is that I hope you enjoyed. If you in fact _did_ enjoy reading, please leave a review telling me so. I want to know whether people will read this or not. If not then I can just scrap it and put the extra time into my other stories. :)  
**


	2. Chapter 2

"North!" Jack called, silently landing on the balcony leading to Santa Clause's office. He stepped off the railing and hurried towards the closed glass doors, banging his staff against it.

By the time North came to open the door the glass was completely covered with frost. The man sighed as he unlocked it and slid it open.  
As soon as Jack heard the click and it begun opening he all but rushed inside, glad to be out of the cold even though it wasn't him who was being affected by it.

"Hello to you too," North mumbled before closing the door again. "You seem to be in quite a rush, is something wrong?"  
"I need your help. You need to bring me something warm." Jack started, his words were rushed and he was fiddling with the blanket which the child was wrapped in.

"Am I hearing right? Did the Jack Frost just ask for something...warm?" North questioned as he turned to face the Winter Spirit. He knew he was old, but the last time he checked his hearing was perfectly fine. Then he noticed the strange thing the younger Guardian was carrying. "Jack, what is that?"

"A child," Jack saw the raise of Santa's eyebrows and he quickly continued. "I'll explain everything later, I just need you to help me get them warm first."

"Very well, I see what I can find." North replied before walking out of the office. Jack nodded his appreciation to the other Guardian as he passed before sitting on the oak wood desk in the middle of the room. His thoughts were scattered everywhere, and he found it hard to shift his mind from particular thoughts.

What was that woman doing out so late? Why did she abandon her child? She looked so pale...was she sick? What happened to her? What will happen to this kid?

Jack sighed and shook his head to clear his mind. He turned his attention to the shivering human curled up in his arms. "Sorry," He apologized quietly. "I'm not exactly the best heater."

The sound of an opening door made Jack look up just as Santa entered the room. "Come with me." North ordered, gesturing for the boy to get up before he walked out again.

Jack slid off the desk, grabbed his staff and followed North down the hall.

* * *

They were sitting in a room much smaller than the large office, but it was still spacious enough for five Guardians to be in at the same time. Yep, as soon as the others heard of the unexpected guest they all had to come and stick their noses into the situation. So now everyone was crowded in a room, watching a little girl who looked like she still belonged in daycare sleeping soundly.

Bunnymund was crouched near the fireplace, Tooth was curled up in one of the armchairs, North was planted in the loveseat (which he took up most of the space, hence why Bunnymund was on the floor), Sandy was floating a few feet in the air beside the sleeping girl and Jack was sprawled out in the other armchair, his hands behind his head, one leg hanging over the back of the chair and the other hanging over the armrest.

Moments passed and no one dared to speak, the Guardians were comfortable with just the crackling of the fire and the faint snoring of the child, lying down on a pillow and buried under several thick, wooly blankets.

Of course, Jack noticed the curiosity burning within Tooth's eyes and he knew it was only a matter of time before she would break.

The Winter Spirit sighed and balanced his staff on the tip of his index finger as he began to count down.

Five. Tooth's eyes flickered towards the youngest guardian before focusing on the little girl again.

Four. She chewed at her bottom lip, gaze flickering once more.

Three. Jack's lips twitched into the tiniest smirk as he watched the Fairy busy herself with combing her hand over her feathers, making sure they were sitting flat.

Two. She fidgeted in her seat, folding and unfolding her hands and wiggling her feet.

One. Jack kept his head down as he peered up at the Tooth Fairy, his smirk growing when she lept from her seat and started buzzing around his chair.

"So what happened? Where did you find her? What about her parents? You didn't steal her did you?" The line of questions just kept coming and coming, and Jack was finding it extremely difficult to understand a word she'd just said.

"Whoa girl, slow down a second. Take a breather," Jack laughed at her eager wide eyed expression and raised his hands in an almost surrendering gesture.

Tooth took a slow, deliberate breath before exhaling deeply.

"Better?" Jack questioned, to which Tooth nodded. He sighed and lazily twirled his staff above his head as he felt all pairs of eyes glued to him. "Okay, for starters, no I didn't steal her. Honestly Tooth, I thought you knew me better than that." The youngest Guardian faked a hurt expression as he covered his heart with his free hand.

"Oops, sorry. I guess I just got a little carried away. You know how I get with kids and all!" Tooth shrugged her shoulders and gave Jack a sheepish smile.

"Where'd ya get her from, then?" Bunnymund questioned, lightly tapping his large foot on the carpeted floor.

"An orphanage." The Winter Spirit replied easily. It was only when he saw the shocked faces of his four friends did he quickly correct himself, or at least try to until he was interrupted.

"Ya just told us ya didn't steal the little ankle-biter, and now ya say ya took her from an orphanage? How is that not stealin' mate?" Bunnymund stood to his full height and took a step towards the younger Guardian.

"Now hold on just a minute," Jack swung his legs around and stood up from the white armchair, holding his hands out. "You honestly think I would steal someone's child? We're Guardians, our job is to protect them, not kidnap them. I was going to explain but someone interrupted me, I wonder who that was?" He finished, sarcasm heavy at the end of his sentence.

"Ya better not push ya luck, frostbite." The bunny warned, taking another step.

"Oh yeah? And if I do, what are you gonna do about it?" Jack challenged, narrowing his eyes as he leaned against his staff.

"That is enough," North ordered, standing up from his seat as he glanced between the two other Guardians. "Jack, I believe you still have things to explain to us, no?"

The tension was high as Bunnymund and Jack stared each other off. Finally, Bunnymund grumbled incoherently and backed down, cursing the Winter Spirit under his breath.

Jack leaned back with a smug expression before dropping onto his chair. "As I was saying," He continued, shooting a narrowed gaze towards the over-sized rabbit before continuing. "I got her from an orphanage, but that was after her mother dumped her there." Okay, so he could've said it in a nicer way...but that was pretty much what she did, right?

"Wait, so you're saying the mum just left her there? Why?" Tooth questioned, her gaze never leaving the child. That's when Jack averted his eyes to the floor.

"That's what I don't know," He dropped his staff and leaned forward, folding his hands and resting his elbows on his knees. "She just left her there."  
"Why didn't anyone take the child inside? Surely someone in the orphanage would've noticed?" The fairy asked, refusing to believe that someone so small and helpless could be abandoned so easily.

"It was closed down. But I don't think the woman knew," Jack explained, frowning at the red wine colored carpet. "I tried to tell the people who put up the sign that the child was there...but-"

"They couldn't see you," North finished, giving Jack a sad smile, to which he returned, albeit forcefully. Santa sat down on the loveseat again, sighing as he did so. "Was there something...off, about the woman? Did she look sick at all?"

Jack thought back to the few glimpses he'd caught of her. It'd been pretty dark considering the time so he didn't really see her that well. "She was...very pale, and skinny. I could see the bone in her arm."

North leaned back into the lounge, nodding his head as a solemn look appeared. "Jack, that woman was homeless."

This sudden news came as a shock to Jack. His eyes widened and he lifted his head to look at the older Guardian. "What...?" He may be immature and a little bit arrogant at times, but he wasn't naīve. He knew there were people who lived out on the streets, having no home to go to. But he never expected a mum and her daughter to be living in such harsh conditions like that.

Jack closed his eyes for a short time before opening them again and lowering his head, a wave of guilt overcoming him for leaving such a defenseless woman out in the cold. North must've seen the flash of guilt that passed along his face, because he was quick to interrupt the silence.

"There was nothing you could've done, Jack. You didn't know, and even if you had, she didn't believe." North reasoned. Jack ignored the man though, still wishing he could've done something to help.

A light hand on his shoulder made Jack shift his gaze upwards, seeing Sandman standing beside him. "Thanks, Sandy." Jack mumbled quietly, earning a sad smile from the little man.

A sudden loud snore followed by incoherent mumbling caught the attention of all the Guardians, their eyes turning towards the sleeping form on the floor.

"Awww, she's adorable." Tooth cooed, smiling warmly at the child.

"Ya got that right. The little ankle-biter seems to be a heavy sleepa too." Bunnymund spoke up, edging forward before sitting next to the Tooth Fairy.  
"That's a good thing, right?" The Fairy questioned, looking to her friends.

"Why of course it is. No parent wants to continuously get up to their child in the middle of the night." North replied with a small laugh. Tooth smiled and looked back down at the girl.

"So...what should we do with her?" She asked quietly.

"Hold on a second, what?" Jack looked up at the other Guardians, noticing their sudden discomfort.

"Ya don't really think she can stay here, do ya Frostbite?" Bunnymund said slowly.

"And why not?" Jack questioned. "How is her staying here any different to us?"

North frowned at this. "We are Guardian, she is not."

"I'm still not seeing your point." Jack insisted. North sighed and rubbed at his forehead. He knew that Jack wouldn't take this lightly, nor would he understand the problem of it, being only a young Guardian.

"The life of a Guardian is not for a human. She's needs normal life and family."

"She just lost her family, she was given up," Jack reminded the large man, getting frustrated. North didn't respond, instead he only closed his eyes and continued rubbing at his forehead. Jack saw this as his chance and stood up from his seat. "I'll look after her."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room. North kept his eyes shut while Jack remained calm and serious on the outside, but inside he was fretting over the decision North would make.

"I'll help him."

Jack looked over at Tooth in shock, seeing the determination on her face.

"And I will. It might be nice to have a little one around for once." Bunnymund added, nodding once at Jack. The Winter Spirit smiled and nodded back in appreciation. Sandy drifted over to the young girl, placing his hand on her head before looking up at Santa.

North opened his eyes and stared at the four Guardians, watching as each one of them stared back at him, hope in their eyes as they waited impatiently for his answer. He sighed and shook his head, a smile appearing. "Well, it looks like you have already made up your minds, yes? So then I guess she'll be staying."

Bunnymund grinned happily and Tooth flew around the room as she squealed excitedly before attacking Jack with a bear hug. The boy laughed and briefly hugged her back, over-joyed that they could keep the girl. Sandy waved his hands wildly to get everyone's attention, signaling with sand signs above his head to keep quiet.

They turned to look at the child, all five of them sighing with relief that she hadn't woken up. Jack grinned at Tooth, who was equally just as excited as he was about the new addition to their crazy family.

"Well now that this is sorted, I think it's time for bed. The sun will be rising in a few short hours." North informed the other four. At the mention of bed they all tried to suppress a yawn as a wave of sleep enveloped around them, and this time it wasn't Sandy's doing.

"Well, I'd better be off then. Now ya make sure ta tell me if there's any trouble with the little one alright?" Bunnymund stood and stretched his legs to get the blood flowing again.

"Sure thing, Bunny." Tooth assured him. With that the rabbit opened up a hole in the floor and jumped through before it closed up again.

"I should go as well before my fairies miss me too much." Tooth said, waving goodbye to the others before flying out the window.

Sandy waved to the two Guardians left and walked out of the room to find a quiet place to sleep. Jack waved him off before turning to Santa.

"I shall show you to your room." North offered before following Sandy out.

"My room?" Jack gently picked up the girl and laid her head on his shoulder before grabbing his staff and walking out.

"Where did you think you were going to sleep? On the roof?" North asked with a chuckle. Jack rolled his eyes at the foolish old man, but smiled nonetheless.

"Since when did I ever have a room?" The Winter Spirit questioned.

"Jack, Jack, Jack." North repeated his name in an almost tsking manner, his hand resting on the knob of a door with intricate snowflakes and trails of frost curling from the corners. "I have room for every Guardian at the North Pole."

Jack followed the man inside, looking around the spacious room in surprise. He'd expected a simple bed, dresser and maybe even a nightstand on the side, but not this. Across from him was a ridiculous sized bed that had to be at least a kings. The blanket was a stormy blue and white colored spread with many matching pillows that covered half of the bed from view while two dark wooded nightstands stood at either end.

To his left was a dresser made of the same dark woods and a fluffy blue rug laid out in front of it.

To his right was a lit fireplace with two white armchairs and a warm blue colored lounge surrounding it, finished off with a dark wooded coffee table.  
Jack whistled appreciatively as he stood in the middle of the room and took everything in. "You don't just do half a job, do you?"

The man laughed and clipped the Winter Spirit on the back, making him clutch onto the girl as he stumbled forward a few steps and choked out a cough. "I have to keep my guests happy," North replied. "Now I'll leave you to get some rest."

"Hey, um, thanks. You know, for the whole letting me keep the girl thing. And the room." Jack quickly added before North could shut the door. Santa smiled and gave Jack a nod before fully closing it.

The boy stood there like an idiot for a good five seconds before sighing and making his way over to the bed, shoving half of the pillows to the floor so he could actually sit down. He pulled the blankets back and placed the girl gently on the plush mattress before pulling them up again and tucking her in.

Jack reached for a few of the pillows left and placed them around the child like a barrier so she couldn't roll off before crawling into his own side. It felt different to sleep in a bed. Usually he would just sleep in a tree back at his lake. But then he guessed that wasn't exactly the most comfortable place for a kid to sleep.

In all honesty, Jack wasn't sure why he wanted to so desperately keep the girl. Sure, he was genuinely worried for her well-being, but he felt as if that wasn't the only reason...maybe he did it as a way to make up for abandoning the woman? Even though he couldn't do anything for her, he could do something for the mum's daughter.

That night Jack Frost promised to give her the best childhood a kid could ever have before he finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**So I remember saying that I was going to post ****_once_**** a week, but then I realized that next week I have a full schedule and wouldn't be able to get another chapter out until ****_afterwards_****, so I decided on posting the second one ****_now_**** to be fair to you guys.**

**And now I have a question for you guys. What do you think about the whole "End of the World" thing? (Or what ****_did_**** you think of it if your reading this after the 21st.) Honestly I think it's a load of bullshit (pardon my language). But I'm curious to know if others really believed in it or not. **

**Hope you enjoyed what you've read so far, and I apologize if it's quite boring at the moment, hopefully things will pick up soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of musical laughter and tiny feet slapping against the hard wooden floor of Santa's workshop filled the room, distracting all the yetis from their jobs.  
"Can't catch me!" The girl teased as she clumsily ran through the workshop and dived under a nearby bench.  
"Yes I can!" Bunnymund replied, hopping over various elves that were in the way before coming to a stop at the workbench. "I'm gonna find ya." He said as he sniffed the air before quickly looking under the bench to see...nothing.  
The child giggled and she clung to the leg of a yeti that'd been walking by. She dropped off once she was out of sight and continued running. She looked up when she heard wings flittering and noticed the Tooth Fairy above her.  
"I'm going to get you!" Tooth laughed as she dove towards the girl, but the kid simply giggled and climbed onto a stack of boxes before jumping into a crate full of red painted toy soldiers.  
"Whoa!" Tooth's eyes widened as she was headed straight for the crate, but it was already too late to stop. She covered her face with her arms and crash landed into the toys.  
The child scrambled out of the box and dropped to the floor while the fairy was temporarily dazed, laughing with a cheeky smile on her face as she continued through the room.  
Her next target was the Sandman. Evelyn jumped onto the yeti named Phil and climbed up his back and onto on his head, Phil crying out the entire time from the pain of his fur being pulled by little fingers.  
She placed her feet on his shoulders then pushed off and landed on a tall stack of wooden boxes, right underneath a fan. "Sandy! Can't get me!" She cried, waving her arms so he could see her.  
Sandman looked up at the girl, surprised that she'd gotten up there. He shook his head and readied his sand rope, swinging it several times before throwing it at the child.  
Evelyn grinned and jumped off the stack, landing on a group of elves passing by. Sandman stared in shock as his rope got caught in the fan and before he could let go he was lifted off his feet and pulled towards it, getting tied in a tangled mess to one of the spinning blades.  
"Now it's my turn." Evelyn stopped to see Jack floating in midair and leaning against the wall in front of her with his arms crossed, a mischievous smile curling the corner of his lips up to one side.  
Evelyn turned tail and ran back the way she'd come. She looked over her shoulder and managed to dodge Jack's attempt at grabbing her by jumping off to the side and landing on a large plastic shield. She squealed and laughed as the toy slid down the narrow walkways of the workshop.  
It was only when she saw ice curl up into the air did she realize she was travelling on a track made by the Winter Spirit.  
Jack laughed, watching Evelyn throw her arms up and squeal loudly as the ice rose and took her over a group of baffled yetis before landing on the floor again. He shot more frost on the wood and steered her in a new direction, tripping Yeti's over and making many elves scramble out of the way.  
The younger Guardian made the track slant upwards again, but didn't bother continuing it any further. Evelyn screamed as she rose up into the air and the shield fell away from her. She stretched her hands out and tried to grab onto something as she fell back down again.  
Jack flew upwards and swiftly caught the girl before gliding back down to the floor, the shield crashing somewhere within the workshop as he placed his bare feet on the wood. Evelyn giggled and clapped her hands excitedly. "Again, again!"  
The Winter Spirit chuckled and looked over at his friends. Tooth was sitting in a crate of toys rubbing her head and Bunnymund was crouched on top of some boxes, trying to untangle a dizzy looking Sandman from the fan that was now turned off.  
"You're quite the troublemaker, aren't you?" Jack said as he pulled a piece of packing Styrofoam out of the girl's raven black hair.  
The heavy wooden doors swung open and Santa strolled into the room, looking taken aback by the chaos of his workshop. "What in the world happened here?"  
"Northy!" Evelyn cried happily. Jack placed the girl on the floor and watched her run up to the large man in the red coat, hugging his leg tightly and wrapping her little arms as far as they could go. "We played tag!" Evelyn explained to the gaping Guardian.  
Jack floated up to them and sat on the railing, placing one foot on the side of his staff as he leaned against it. "Just having a bit of fun, old timer."  
"Wha- fun? You call this-" He gestured to the messy room with ice tracks and spilt toys everywhere. "Fun? It looks like hurricane was here!"  
"Fun, fun, fun!" Evelyn repeated, letting go of the man's leg to hop up and down like a rabbit. "More fun!"  
North chuckled heartily and shook his head, crossing his burly arms over his chest as he examined the girl, momentarily forgetting about the destroyed workshop. "You've turned a little angel into a little devil. I think you're bad influence, Jack." He stated, but it was obvious that he wasn't being serious.  
"What, me? A bad influence?" Jack scoffed before faking an innocent expression. "Yeah, right. I'm the best guy around!"  
North lifted a hand to stroke his beard, his eyes narrowed as his lips twitched into a smirk. "That's not what naughty list says."  
"What happened to 'wiping the slate clean'?" Jack questioned, albeit distractedly as his eyes followed the child who was now bouncing along the floor on her bottom.  
"Ah yes, well now you back on list." North explained as he too watched the child.  
"Aw, and I've been extra good this year, too. So, has anyone beaten my score yet?" Jack asked casually as he held onto his staff with both hands and leaned back slightly.  
"Nope, you still hold record." Santa replied, grinning widely now.  
"I guess some things never change." Jack said with a shrug, grinning just as much.  
"That little ankle-biter sure knows how to get into trouble." Bunnymund interrupted as the rest of the Guardians walked up the stairs to join the other two.  
"Aww, look how cute she is! I love her!" Tooth exclaimed as she sat on her knees next to the bouncing kid. Jack laughed quietly and raised an eyebrow.  
"Tooth, you love all children." He reminded her.  
"Oh but I love her the most!" The fairy insisted, scooping the girl up and squashing her in a bear hug.  
"Keep doin' that and she'll turn into a deflated beach ball." Bunny warned, sitting on the railing next to Jack as he watched the girl's eyes bulge out and her cheeks puff up like a chipmunks.  
"Oops, sorry!" Tooth apologized, quickly setting the child down and folding her hands in her lap.  
"It's only been a week, and yet she looks like she's perfectly at ease here." North commented, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over them.  
"I'm just that good of a babysitter." Jack replied, sounding smug.  
"And you're just that full of yourself." Bunnymund grumbled, crossing his arms in annoyance.  
"What was that, Cottontail?" Jack asked as he leaned to the side, invading the rabbit's personal space. "I don't think I heard you right."  
"Bugger off before I thump ya one, frostbite." The bunny growled, pushing the Winter Spirit away, albeit roughly. Jack laughed and whacked the rabbit swiftly over the head with his staff before leaping into the air to make a quick escape.  
"Oh, now ya've done it!" Bunnymund growled, grabbing his boomerang and throwing it before chasing after the younger Guardian, causing Evelyn to clap her hands and laugh at the two.

* * *

**I know this is short, but I couldn't really continue on from this with what I have in mind, so this chapter is basically just showing you what effect Evelyn had over the Workshop (and the Guardians) after being brought there, I guess. Just a heads up, for the next few chapters the time will skip through Evelyn's age, so she'll most likely be a few years older in each chapter. But don't worry about trying to guess her age, because I'll put hints within the story to give you the answer.**

**I have another question for you all, which character is your favorite from ROTG? Personally, mine is Jack frost. But I've adored him since I was very little. He was even my imaginary friend when I was five, but he disappeared when I turned nine after yelling at him for playing with my toys when I told him not to. Pretty sad, eh? Anyway, I'm really interested in knowing which is your favorite character. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

It was the middle of Fall, not that anyone would be able to tell since the North Pole never changed seasons, and the Guardians were all crowded around one end of the large table in the dining room.  
Today was Evelyn's birthday, or rather it was the day the Guardian's had decided on since no one knew of her actual birth date. Evelyn sat at the head of the table with Tooth and Bunnymund sitting on either side of her. Sandy was sitting next to the Easter Bunny and North was sitting next to the fairy, while Jack was hovering in the air with his arms folded on the back of the girl's seat.  
"Hurry and make a wish, Eve!" Tooth encouraged as she watched with an eager expression. Evelyn closed her amber eyes and whispered under her breath before opening them again and blowing the six candles out with one big breath.  
The Guardian's cheered and each wished the child a happy birthday, Sandy using images above his head. "Alright, now to cut the cake! And remember, if you touch plate you have to give boy a kiss." North reminded her.  
Evelyn rolled her eyes playfully before picking up the large knife, with the help of Jack, and slowly cutting through the vanilla flavored cake. She scrunched up her nose and narrowed her eyes in concentration as she watched the blade come closer and closer to the bottom until a tiny 'tink' sounded.  
"Ah! She touched the bottom!" Tooth exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly as if it was a good thing. "Time to pick a boy!" She said in a sing-song voice.  
Evelyn looked around the table before grinning widely and shouting, "Kisses for all!" She jumped off her chair and pulled on Bunnymund's arm to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Kiss for bunny!" She yelled, leaving the rabbit stuttering incoherent words as she ran to the next person.  
Jack watched in amusement as Evelyn said 'Kiss for Sandy!' before wrapping her arms around the short man and also pecking him on the cheek. She let go and ran to the other side of the table, jumping into North's lap before kissing his cheek, to which she giggled and said his beard tickled.  
"Hug for Tooth!" The girl cried before squeezing the fairy tightly.  
"Aww you're so sweet!" Toothiana cooed, squeezing the child back just as hard before letting go again.  
"Hey, you didn't forget about me, did you?" Jack asked with a pout. Evelyn laughed and climbed onto her chair, standing up so she could reach the Winter Spirit.  
"And kiss for Jack!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss on his smooth cheek before turning around and dropping back into her seat. Jack laughed and wiped at his face to remove some of the left over slobber.  
"Cake now, cake now!" Evelyn begged as she bounced eagerly. North gave a hearty laugh before pulling the plate towards him and serving out equal pieces to everyone at the table.  
Once they were done with eating the elves took the dirty dishes away to be cleaned while the Guardians got up from their seats and stretched. North ushered everyone into the living room before seating himself on one of the large sofa's.  
"So, what do we do now?" Bunnymund asked as he shut the door and made his way over to the center of the room. Sandman stuck his hand in the air to get the other's attention before showing images of several different games.  
"A game! That's a great idea, Sandy!" Tooth agreed before fluttering over to a wooden cupboard and pulling open the doors. "Hmm, which game should we play?"  
"This one!" Evelyn spoke as she ran over and pulled out a tail with a pin at the end.  
"Pin the tail on the donkey? That's getting a little old, don't you think?" Jack said as he crouched in front of the girl. She 'awed' and dropped her hands to her sides, staring up at the Guardian with a pouty face.  
Jack laughed and held up his hands. "Now hold on a second, I didn't say you couldn't play it, all I said was that the donkey was getting old. But a bunny..." He smirked and narrowed his eyes in the rabbit's direction.  
"Hold up, since when did I ever offer my hide to be a pin cushion?" Bunnymund argued, glaring at the boy.  
"Since now apparently." Jack replied as Evelyn laughed and held the tail up towards the rabbit. Bunnymund yelled in surprise before leaping around the room, Evelyn hot on his heels.  
Jack laughed along with Tooth and North as he leaned against the back of the sofa Sandman was sitting on. He crossed his arms and tucked his staff into the crook of his arm as he watched the carrot-muncher try to escape.  
Evelyn had a strong hold on the rabbit's fur, and without wasting any time she pinned the donkey tail where it rightfully belonged, earning a loud yelp from Bunnymund. She squealed in delight and ran towards Jack who chuckled and picked her up.  
"Having fun, Cottontail? Or should I come up with a new nickname for you now?" Jack questioned, grinning that boyish smile of his.  
"Can it Frosty." Bunnymund growled, wincing in pain as he pulled the extra tail off and tossed it aside.  
"Aw, and here I thought you were enjoying yourself." The Winter Spirit teased, only adding more to the rabbit's already fiery temper.  
"Come on guys can you not fight, at least for today?" Tooth pleaded as she glanced between the males.  
Jack smirked and leapt backwards over the sofa so there was some distance between him and Bunnymund. "Sure. Anything else you want to do, Evelyn?"  
"More games!" Evelyn demanded, her amber eyes twinkling.  
"Alright, how about we go and play outside?" Jack suggested. Evelyn cheered excitedly and let out a chorus of 'yes's' as she bounced in the boy's arms. The Winter Spirit laughed and tightened his grip on the girl so she wouldn't fall.

"But Jaaaack!" Evelyn whined as she stomped her feet in annoyance. Jack just shook his head and sighed.  
"Eve, if you don't wear shoes your toes will fall off." Tooth warned, holding the pair of pale blue shoes out to the child who huffed and turned away.  
"It's not fair! Jack doesn't have to wear shoes!" Evelyn argued, pointing to the boy's bare feet.  
"I'm Jack Frost," He said with a laugh. "I don't need to wear shoes."  
The girl huffed again and crossed her arms stubbornly. Toothiana glanced up at the Winter Spirit who simply shrugged before crouching so he was at eye level with the child.  
"How about this, if you wear those shoes I'll take you ice-skating later on." Evelyn looked between the shoes and Jack, thinking hard about which one to choose.  
"Okay. But you have to pinky promise!" Evelyn said, holding her tiny finger out. Jack chuckled and shook his head before linking his pinky with hers. As soon as he promised she took the shoes from Tooth, slipped them on and got up to run outside, only making it halfway out the door before tripping over.  
The Guardians erupted into laughter as Evelyn sat up and rubbed her forehead. "Not funny!"  
Jack bit back a grin and walked over to the girl. "You put the shoes on the wrong feet," He explained, taking them off and switching them around before slipping them on again. "Alright, now you'll be fine."  
"Yay! Let's go play now!" Evelyn cried, stumbling to her feet before attempting to run again. The motion was a little awkward since this was the first time the girl had ever worn shoes, but that didn't stop her as she ran and jumped into the snow, sinking three inches in.  
The Guardians joined Evelyn outside, Tooth grabbing onto the girl's hands and pulling her out of the snow before placing her where it wasn't as deep.  
"This is going to be so much fun! I want to build a snowman and an igloo and make snowballs and snow angels and-"  
Jack laughed and covered the girl's mouth to cease her from rambling any further. "Let's just focus on one thing first. What do you want to do the most?" He questioned before removing his hand.  
Evelyn took a deep breath before blowing it out. "Snowman first!"  
"Okay then, let's get to it!" The Winter Spirit said before scooping up some snow and shaping it into a ball. He handed it to Evelyn and she happily added snow onto it, making it bigger and bigger until it was a decent size for a body.  
"Done!" She cried victoriously before picking up the giant snowball and stumbling around from the weight of it.  
"Careful now," Jack grabbed the snowball and helped to carry it over to the others before placing it down. Evelyn ran over to help Tooth with the middle part of the body while North worked on the head.  
The younger Guardian smirked at seeing Bunnymund standing in the snow, gripping his arms as he shivered from the cold. "What's wrong, can't handle a little bit of snow?" Jack mused, floating in front of the rabbit while prodding the ground with his staff.  
"In case ya haven't noticed, I'm a spring bunny, not an arctic one." Bunnyund growled, but it was hard to sound threatening while his teeth were chattering uncontrollably.  
"Why don't you run around? Rabbits are supposed to be good at that, and it'll warm you up too." Jack suggested.  
"No thanks, I'm fine with just standin' here." Bunnymund shook his head.  
"Okay then, whatever suits you." Jack said with a non-chalant shrug as he drifted backwards to inspect how everyone else was going. So far they had the middle of the snowman attached to the bottom piece, but they were struggling to keep the head on. Jack watched bemused as North and Tooth fought the little ball of snow, re-adjusting it whenever it leaned to one side.  
The Winter Spirit chuckled and flew over to the two, pointing his staff the snowman as he circled around it and connected the head to the rest of the body.  
"Thanks, Jack. You're a life saver." Tooth thanked him.  
Jack snorted and landed in front of the tall pile of snow. "Nah, I'm just a snowman saver." He said before creating a long, pointy nose out of frost and sticking it in the middle of the head. He then tapped his staff in several places to make two pairs of eyes and a smiling mouth.  
"Now all we need is hat," North spoke up, gesturing towards the bare head.  
"Not a problem," Jack assured him, also making a frost hat for the snowman. "Eve, want to help me put it on?"  
"Yes!" She agreed quickly, holding her arms in the air for Jack to pick her up. She took the hat in her gloved hands and clumsily placed it on top of the head.  
Jack placed her back down as she cheered happily. "Got a name for him?"  
"Frosty!"  
The Guardians all looked at each other and laughed, Eve soon joining them, even if she didn't know why they were laughing. Sandy held up his hand and made a picture of an igloo above his head.  
"Good thinking, Sandman." North praised the little man before turning to Jack. "Mind helping with that?"  
Jack raised two fingers to his head and saluted the man before turning and waving his stick along the ground. A large igloo shot up out of the snow, towering over all of them.  
He flew in the other direction and did the same thing further away, so now they had two. The Winter Spirit smirked as he scooped up some snow and shaped it into a ball, blowing the tiniest bit of frost over it before bowling it towards North, hitting him square in the face and knocking him over.  
"So that's how it's going to be, is it?" Santa asked, scrambling up from the ground and making his own snowball.  
Jack laughed and flew into the air, using the wind to balance himself as he turned upside down and watched the others quickly running to the igloo's, even Bunny joined in.  
"Jack! Down here!" Evelyn called, waving her arms above her head. Jack lowered himself to the ground and placed his feet in the snow before following Evelyn and Sandman through the entrance.  
"So, what's the plan?" Jack questioned as he crossed his legs and made himself comfortable.  
"We run out there and kick their sorry butt's!" Evelyn exclaimed, punching the air with her little fists. Sandman laughed soundlessly and Jack chuckled at the child's enthusiasm.  
"That's not a bad idea, kid. But we're going to need something a little more tactical than that." Jack replied, gesturing for the others to move closer before he too leaned forward and whispered his plan to his friends.  
"So we all know what to do?"  
"Yeah! We're going to win this!" Evelyn yelled confidently.  
Jack laughed and ruffled the girl's shoulder length hair. "Always the positive one, I see."  
Sandman and Evelyn crawled out of the igloo and Jack prepared ammo before he made his way out, the other team quickly joining them.  
Jack leapt across the snow and stood in the middle of the battlefield, glancing between the two teams. "I'm not really one for rules, but other than no flying or snow globes, my only rule is to have fun. The aim of the game is to get to the other teams igloo. Whoever breaks the icicle-" Jack gestured to the points on top of both igloo's with his staff "off the top first, wins."  
"This is too easy, mate." Bunnymund spoke up as he cracked his knuckles.  
"Oh you think so, do you?" Jack responded, a mischievous grin appearing. "Tunneling isn't allowed either."  
Bunnymund's smirk fell and he stared at the boy with what looked to be a mix of surprise and horror. "Wait, what?"  
Jack ignored the rabbit and hovered in the air, raising his staff and glancing between both sides before swinging it down to start the fight and joining his own team. He landed on the ground and tossed his staff into the igloo before scooping up some snow and pegging it at the charging rabbit, making him trip over his feet and land face first in the snow with his butt in the air.  
The younger Guardian smirked and gave his team a quick nod, who also nodded back, before racing forward. He jumped onto Bunnymund and used him as a trampoline before leaping forward and landing on North's back.  
"Hey! What the-" The man's protests were cut short and Jack grabbed a chunk of snow and shoved it in his face.  
"Merry Christmas, Santa!" Jack laughed before jumping off and racing towards the other igloo.  
Sandman easily dodged the onslaught of snowballs that the Tooth Fairy was sending his way. He scooped up some snow and threw it in her direction, hitting her in the shoulder.  
"Hah! That's not going to stop me!" She yelled before making more snowballs and firing them just as quickly as Sandy was throwing his, both being assaulted by snow.  
"Keep still, ya little bugger." Bunnymund demanded as he watched the little girl weave in and out of his legs. Evelyn laughed and circled the rabbit several times before retreating into the igloo to get two snowballs. She crawled back out and saw Bunnymund climbing the side of their fort to reach the icicle.  
"Bad bunny!" She scolded, raising her arm and throwing one snowball at him, hitting him right in the crotch.  
Bunnymund yelped and slid back to the ground in surprise. "Crikey, that's cold!" Evelyn laughed and pegged the other snowball at the rabbit's face, sending him to the ground.  
"I win! I win!" She chorused while jumping around happily.  
Jack was just about to make a jump for the enemies' igloo, when a sudden large hand gripped his ankle and pulled him back down. "Hey!" He cried as he kicked at the person, only managing to get his feet tangled in their long white beard.  
North bellowed out a laugh as he threw Jack away, not realizing that they were connected. Both the Guardians yelled in surprise as they went flying and crash landed into the ground. Jack pulled his head out of the snow and untangled his feet from the man's beard before standing up and racing off.  
Santa rolled onto his stomach and stretched his arm out, latching onto the boys' foot. "Ha ha!" Jack looked back at the large man and smirked before kicking snow into his face with his free foot. North cried out in surprise and wiped the snow from his eyes.  
"Take that old timer!" Jack laughed before making his escape. He was so close now, if he could just-  
"Oof!" Jack was pelted in the head by a large snowball and tumbled to the ground with a splat.  
North laughed hysterically before standing up and walking over to the youngest Guardian. "Not bad for old timer, no?"  
Jack glanced back at his team. Sandman was firing snowballs like a machine gun at Tooth and Evelyn was sitting on Bunnymund's head, gnawing on the rabbit's ears as he desperately tried to pull her off. All was going according to plan, now he just had to get to that icicle.  
The Winter Spirit pushed himself up from the snow and leapt onto North's back, placing his hands over the man's eyes and clinging tightly as Santa began to half-walk, half-spin around. Jack dodged the massive hands that clumsily tried to pry him off.  
North smacked into the side of the igloo and Jack took this as his chance to scramble off the man's back and up the igloo. He caught Santa reaching for him out of the corner of his eye and leapt to the top, snapping the icicle off and flipping in the air before landing in a crouched position in the snow, holding up his hand which was grasping the icicle tightly.  
The sun glinted off the ice and caught the attention of the others. Tooth and Bunnymund stared in shock and Jack's team cheered at their victory.  
Jack stood up and turned to face the white-bearded man. "Not bad at all." He finally replied.  
North smiled and patted the Winter Spirit roughly on the back. "Good job, Jack."  
"You did it, Jack! You won!" Evelyn cried as she ran towards the young Guardian.  
"We won." He corrected, laughing as he scooped the child up and handed her the icicle.  
"We won! we won!" She shouted, holding the icicle up. All the Guardians laughed and gathered around the child.  
"You certainly did." Tooth agreed, smiling widely as she hugged the girl.  
"Eve's quite the little fighter. She almost ripped my ears off!" Bunnymund spoke up, pulling at his ears to emphasize his point.  
Sandman tapped on Jack's shoulder before showing them an image of a lake and ice-skates.  
"Oh yeah. Eve, do you want to go ice-skating now?" Jack questioned.  
"Yes, yes! I want to-" She was cut off by a sudden yawn. Jack chuckled and shook his head.  
"Maybe another day, then. If you're tired you should get some rest." The Winter Spirit told the girl, but she shook her head stubbornly.  
"I don't want to sleep. I want to play!" She argued before biting down on her lip in an attempt to stop herself from yawning again.  
"We can always play some more tomorrow, Eve." Tooth assured the child, petting her hair affectionately as she watched her eyes slip shut for a second.  
"Tooth's right, what you need right now is rest." North spoke up, brushing some snow out of his beard from the earlier snowball fight.  
Evelyn sighed and rested her head against Jack's shoulder, hiding her face into his neck and closing her eyes against the sudden wind. She shivered delicately and Jack tightened his hold on her, even though he had no warmth to offer the girl.  
"Come on, let's get you warm." The Winter Spirit said before following everyone else back inside. Tooth flew to one of the igloos and grabbed Jack's staff before handing it to him. "Oh, thanks Tooth, I almost forgot about that." He admitted. Jack passed the others and wondered down the hall, struggling to open the door without dropping the child. He walked inside and placed Evelyn on the bed, pulling the blankets up and around her before stepping over to the fireplace and lighting the wood.  
As soon as it caught alight the Guardian quickly backed away from the heat so he wouldn't get burnt. Jack glanced at the sleeping girl, a smile on his face as he left the room and closed the door quietly behind him.

* * *

Does this chapter feel rushed to any of you at all? Maybe it's just me...I don't know. I might go over it and fix it up if I get the time.

So my question for this week is, what did you do for New Years? Did you have fun?


	5. Chapter 5

The first day of winter had come again, and it was time for Jack Frost to make his usual visits around the globe. Except there was one small problem, and that was the little hands holding a death grip on the Winter Spirit's legs.

"Eve, you know I have to leave. I thought you'd be used to this by now." Jack twisted his torso to look down at the girl behind him since he couldn't move his legs.

"No, I don't want you to leave!" Evelyn yelled as she stubbornly clung to the boy's pants. Jack sighed and rubbed his forehead. He didn't have time for this.

"Evelyn, there are millions of kids throughout the world, and they're all waiting for me to bring them snow. You don't want them to get upset, do you?" Jack asked his voice soft as he tried to reason with the girl.

"No..." She mumbled, sniffing as she let the Guardian's legs go and stepped back. Jack turned around and wiped a stray tear from the child's cheek before smiling and taking her hand.

"Come on, we'll go see if Tooth can babysit you."

* * *

"I'm sorry, Jack, but I just have too much stuff to sort through right now. I'm really sorry." Tooth apologized to the silver haired boy. She was flying in all directions and checking on several things as Jack and Evelyn stood on the floor, holding onto each others hand as they both turned their heads in which ever direction Tooth flew in.

"No, it's alright. I guess I'll just go ask Bunny then. See ya, Tooth." Jack said before picking the girl up and calling the wind to carry them away.  
"Bye Tooth!" Evelyn yelled as she looked over Jack's shoulder and waved enthusiastically. The fairy gave the child a quick glance and waved in her general direction before going to her next distraction.

* * *

"Oi! Rabbit!" Jack called, cupping his hands to his mouth to project his voice throughout The Warren.

"What is it, Frostbite?" Bunnymund grumbled, clearly irritated at finding out he had guests. Jack did a double take as he watched the six foot rabbit walk out of a tunnel and over to the two, covered from head to toe in pastel colored dye and holding an armful of only half-colored eggs.

The Winter Spirit snickered before quickly biting his lip to suppress the urge to laugh. But Evelyn did no such thing as she boldly laughed her little head off.

"You look like a rainbow, cottontail!" She said, clearly pointing out the obvious.

Bunnymund grimaced at the girl for using one of his many nicknames, but decided against reprimanding her. "Ya don't say."

Jack gave a smug smile when he heard the little girl who was so much like a sister to him use one of the nicknames he'd come up with. "You wouldn't be able to watch over Eve for a few hours, would you?"

Bunnymund half-sighed, half-growled and closed his eyes for a second before glaring tiredly in the Winter Spirit's direction. "Does it look like I have the time, mate? I know ya busy right now with winter and all, but I'm behind schedule and I don't need no little ankle-biter causin' mischief."

Jack held one hand up in a surrendering gesture, replying with, "Alright, I get it. You're busy. I'll just leave then."

Evelyn looked between the two Guardians, her eyes wide and innocent. "Do I have to stay here?" She questioned, cocking her head to the side.  
"No, we'll try somewhere else." Jack informed the girl, pulling out the last snow globe that he'd stolen and breaking it on the ground to open a portal. He picked Evelyn up and walked through it. It wasn't his most preferred way of traveling, but it was the quickest.

He stumbled as his feet touched the wooden floor and held a hand to his head as he waited for the effects of the portal to wear off.

Jack walked down the long hall and into the largest room of Santa's building. He glanced up at the Globe of Belief before scanning the room for any signs of the white bearded man. Not finding him anywhere, he turned and left the room, deciding to check the office instead.

"Ah, Jack Frost, is there something you needed?" North asked, his voice booming around the room. Jack nudged the door closed with his foot before placing Evelyn on the floor and looking at Santa Claus.

"Have you seen Sandy?" Jack questioned casually, holding his staff with both hands and leaning forward slightly.

Evelyn wondered around the room. She'd never been allowed in here before because of all the fragile things Santa kept on the shelves. Granted the girl was short, but that didn't mean she couldn't think of a way to reach them. After all Jack was her "parental figure" as others would call it, so she's picked up a few traits of his over the years.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't." North replied, albeit distractedly. He had his nose stuck in a long piece of paper that had rolled off the desk and across the floor. Jack then realized that he was checking the 'Naughty' and 'Nice' lists.

Evelyn stared up at the long wooden shelves above her, her eyes glued to a certain toy in particular. She glanced around, finally noticing a small cabinet off to the right side of her. Being ever so stealthy, the girl pulled herself onto it and started climbing the rows of shelves along the wall, the two Guardians completely unaware to the situation.

"Where am I this year?" Jack asked, drifting towards the desk before crouching on top of it and looking at the paper upside down.  
"At top of Naughty List like every year, obviously." North replied.

"Obviously." Jack agreed his smug expression clearly visible.

"You seem proud of that, no?" The man spoke up after a moment, lifting his gaze from his desk to eye the Winter Spirit curiously. Jack chuckled and gave a quick shake of his head to shift the hair that had fallen in his eyes.

"You could say that." Jack replied. North gave a hearty laugh and clapped the younger Guardian on his shoulder before getting back to work.  
Jack jumped off the desk and landed on the floor, walking in circles on the rug at a slow pace as he held his staff over his shoulder. "Since Sandy's off somewhere, would you be able to watch over the kid for me?"

North sighed and dropped his pen before leaning back in his chair. "I'm sorry Jack, but Christmas is just round corner and I haven't even started on Nice List yet."

Jack stopped in his slow pacing to close his eyes and tilt his head back, letting out a long, somewhat frustrated sigh. "I need someone to watch over her, I'm already behind on winter as it is."

"Why not take her with you?" North suggested suddenly, making the Winter Spirit look at the other Guardian.

"Take her with me?" He repeated, as if the idea was foreign to him.

"Yes. I'm sure she'd enjoy being able to get out of North Pole for a while." The large man stated, picking up his pen again and tapping on the desk with it.

"But wherever I go it's going to be nothing but cold." Jack protested.

"Ah, but being round you all the time, Eve has learned to deal with cold. She can even walk bare-footed through the snow like you." Santa chuckled at that last bit, and Jack couldn't help but join in when he remembered the time Evelyn had been too stubborn to put warm clothes or shoes on and she'd run outside in nothing but her underwear and a singlet.

"Seriously though," Jack interrupted the moment of laughter. "She's resistant to the cold, not immune to it. She will eventually get sick from being exposed to such cold temperatures for so long." Jack insisted, trying to make the man see reason.

"Jack, she lives AT the North Pole. Where else does it get any colder than here?" North reminded the Winter Spirit. He could see that Jack was worrying (which in most cases was rare to see) and he was trying his best to convince him that Evelyn would be alright. Santa continued in a softer voice when the other Guardian didn't say anything. "Eve has been here since you found her. It wouldn't hurt to let her go with you just this once."  
The Winter Spirit paced the edge of the circle shaped rug again, rubbing at his forehead as he did so. He sighed heavily and swung his staff through the air as he turned to face North again. He was about to argue when a sudden loud crash and the sounds of tiny fragile things smashing erupted around the room.

Jack flinched at the sudden noise and looked towards the shelves, which were all on the floor minus one. At the very top, hanging onto the only unstable shelf left on the wall was Evelyn, her short fingernails scrapping at the wood as she tried desperately to hold on.

North made a sort of pained noise as he stared wide eyed at his masterpieces shattered on the floor. Jack flew into the air and grabbed Evelyn just before she fell. He landed on the floor away from the mess and placed her on her own feet.

"What. Did. You. DO?" North asked, his voice was barely above a whisper, and that scared Evelyn to no end. She'd been warned many times by Jack that it wasn't a good idea to get on North's bad side.

"Evelyn, what were you doing?" Jack whispered to the girl cowering behind him while Santa stood up from his chair and began pacing frantically; much like Jack had been doing before.

"I..." She gave him a sheepish smile and folded her hands behind her back, amber eyes gazing up at Jack innocently. "I was only looking."

Jack scoffed and turned completely so he was facing her. "Looking? Is the ground not good enough for you to stand on when you want to look at something?"

"Hey how was I supposed to know they wouldn't hold my weight?" Evelyn argued, crossing her arms with a pout. She was starting to become just as stubborn (and as much of a troublemaker) as Jack could be.

The young Guardian sighed and placed his hand over his face, eyes closed. "I don't need this now." He mumbled into his hand.  
"Then take me with you, like North suggested."

Jack opened his eyes and looked at the girl between his fingers. "You heard that?"

"Of course I did. You guys weren't exactly being quiet ya know. I'm not a little kid anymore." Evelyn insisted. Jack took is hand away from his face and glanced over his shoulder at the quickly sobering Santa Claus. He knew the yelling would come any minute now.

"Alright fine, but let's leave before our ears get blown off." Jack said quickly.

"Good idea." Evelyn agreed before they both turned in the direction of the door and raced down the hallway just as North sucked in a huge breath and yelled out their names.

The two laughed and didn't stop running until they were at Jack's room. "You sure know how to get on his bad side." Jack said while leaning against the wall.

"You do too," Evelyn stated. "Remember that time when you froze his beard to the chair while he was asleep?"

"The guy needed a shave," Jack chuckled. "But what about when you put itching powder in his pants?"

The two continued to laugh over the pranks they'd pulled on poor North until the Winter Spirit remembered that he still had snow to deliver.

"If you want to come with me than go and change into warmer clothing." Jack told the girl. He'd been half expecting the child to argue with him, but much to his surprise she just ran towards her room without saying anything.

"I guess miracles do happen." Jack mumbled to himself, lazily twirling his staff in the air as he waited in the hall. The sound of muffled garbling came from the other end of the hall and Jack looked in said direction, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

Then he realized that the Yeti's were still probably looking for him after the prank he'd pulled on them last week. Jack turned and placed his hand on the knob of his door, but the Yeti's would most likely check his room, so instead he flew up and flattened himself against the ceiling.

"Jack, I'm ready!" Evelyn cried, running out of her room. She stopped and looked around, noticing that Jack was nowhere to be seen. The Winter Spirit swung his staff down and hooked the crooked end under the hem of Evelyn's jacket.

Evelyn jumped and looked behind her, wondering what was pulling on her jacket. Her feet suddenly flew off the floor and she shrieked in surprise. Jack stretched his other hand out and caught the girl before she could hit the floor. He pulled her up and kept one arm wrapped around her torso so she wouldn't fall.

"Jack? What's going-" The Guardian shushed the child just as two heavy figures turned around the corner and walked down the hall. Evelyn closed her mouth, realizing why Jack was now hiding, and plastered herself against the ceiling as much as she could.

The Yeti's grumbled and stopped in front of Jack's door, opening it and peaking inside the bedroom. The two held their breaths as they watched silently. Realizing that Jack wasn't in his room, the Yeti's closed the door and continued on, grumbling to each other in a language that neither Jack nor Evelyn would ever understand.

Once they were out of sight Jack lowered himself and the girl enough so they weren't against the ceiling. Evelyn clung to Jack's hoodie as he unwrapped his arm from around her to pull out a snow globe and toss it down, opening a portal.

"How many of those did you steal?" Evelyn questioned, raising both her eyebrows.

"Steal? I didn't steal, I borrowed." Jack corrected the girl before ceasing the wind from holding the two in the air. Evelyn squealed as she fell, going through the portal. Jack followed her in and the portal closed behind them.

Evelyn was thrown out of the other side and straight onto the ground. Jack gracefully landed next to Evelyn, laughing when he saw the position she'd landed in.

"Not funny." Evelyn grumbled, pushing herself up into a sitting position. Jack faked a cough to cover up his laughter.

"Come on, I want you to meet some friends of mine." The Winter Spirit spoke up, out stretching his hand to the child on the ground. Evelyn accepted his offer and was suddenly pulled up and onto the boy's back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and fisted her hands into the front of his hoodie as they rode the wind across the sky.

_

Jack landed on the porch of a two story house and let Evelyn slide off his back. He held a finger to his lips and shushed the girl.

Evelyn nodded to show that she understood before closing her mouth to avoid making any sound.

"Jamie! Sophie!" Jack suddenly called out, his voice echoing around the lot. Evelyn jumped in surprise before snapping her head in the Guardian's direction.

"You just said to be quiet!" She whispered harshly, her amber eyes almost popping out of their sockets. Jack laughed at her expression and ruffled her hair.

"I said for you to be quiet. The parents can't hear me, but you on the other hand..." Jack cut himself off as the sound of thumping footsteps echoed throughout the house before they abruptly paused. The front door swung open with a loud bang and a young teenager stood in the door frame, eyes wide with excitement.

He glanced towards the Winter Spirit and he broke into a huge grin. "Jack!" He cried, running over and almost knocking the older boy down in a bear hug.

"Whoa kiddo, slow down!" Jack laughed, holding his hands up in the air as he stumbled backwards.

"Jack, Jack, Jack!" Evelyn turned to see a girl with shaggy blonde hair and bright green eyes run outside, stumbling every so often over the untied shoe laces. She looked to be around the same age as Evelyn, but the height difference was clearly obvious. The new girl was at least half a head taller than her, but then Evelyn was naturally short for her age, something that had been concerning the five Guardians for quite some time now.  
"You came! I knew you would!" The younger boy stated, not releasing his death grip on the spirit. Evelyn slunk slowly away from the two strangers, unsure on how to react.

Jack glanced up from his two first believers' towards the girl backing away. He lightly pushed the Bennett siblings aside and crouched down before gesturing for Evelyn to come over.

Evelyn hesitated for a moment, pushing her raven hair out of her face before finally walking (although it was more like speed-walking) towards Jack and wrapping her arms around his torso.

"Eve, this is Sophie and Jamie. They're good friends of mine." The Winter Spirit explained.

"Yeah, Jack's my best friend!" Jamie agreed, nodding his head eagerly. Jack laughed at the statement and gestured towards the girl clinging to him.  
"Guys, this is Evelyn. You know, the kid I've been telling you about?" Jack reminded the siblings. Sophie 'oohed' and nodded her head while Jamie smiled and stepped closer before crouching so he was at eye-level with the girl.

"So this is her?" The boy narrowed his eyes as he examined her closely before they widened again and his grin grew. "She's pretty cute!" He finally confirmed.

Evelyn stared at the boy with wide, innocent eyes. She tightened her hold on the Guardian and furrowed her brows before giving a small pout and saying only one word, "Mine."

Jamie's grin fell and he blinked in surprise before suddenly laughing. Jack joined in as well while Evelyn and Sophie just glanced between the two.  
"So, what should we do today?" Jack questioned, removing Evelyn's arms and standing up before taking her hand in one of his.

"Oh, let's go to the park!" Jamie suggested, his slightly outgrown brown locks falling in his face momentarily before he pushed it aside.

"Sounds like a plan." The Winter Spirit followed the Bennett's through the gate and down the footpath, occasionally sending up icy blue sparks into the sky with his staff to make it snow on the small town known as Burgess.

Jamie idly chatted away at Jack's ear like he did every time the spirit came to visit him and Sophie skipped on a few feet ahead of them, her head turned up to the sky as fat, white flakes fell down.

Evelyn tightened her grip on the Guardian's hand, excitement and fear coursing through her veins. Excitement, because this was her first time out of the North Pole. Fear, because she didn't know how to act around other children.

"We're here!" Jamie shouted suddenly, making the six year old jump at the abrupt noise.

"Yay! Let's play!" Sophie cheered, grabbing the wrist of Jack's hand which was gripping his staff and pulling him along. Evelyn tried desperately to hold onto the Guardian's hand, but her little fingers slipped out of his and she staggered forward, catching herself on her hands before she hit the ground.

Two red boot covered feet appeared in front of the girl and she glanced up, wide eyes staring back into clear brown ones. She scrambled back in surprise, falling onto her bottom in the freshly fallen snow.

Jamie laughed and held out his hand, giving the child a toothy grin. "Come on, let's go to the playground."

After much hesitating Evelyn finally decided that if Jack trusted him, then she would too. But instead of accepting his hand she helped herself up, to which Jamie chuckled at before heading towards their destination. Evelyn followed slowly behind him, glancing around at the scenery before her.

Everything was new and wondrous to her. There were houses lined along streets, roads that stretched in a long straight line; and others that would curl around the corners. Footpaths were covered by a thin blanket of snow, and pretty much everything else in the park was as well.

"Come on, Evelyn!" The girl glanced in the direction the voice had come from. She could see Jamie over near the swing set, gesturing wildly with his hands for her to come over.

Evelyn went to the boy and sat down on the closest swing while Jamie occupied the other. She gazed around the area, her eyes landing on Jack and Sophie. Jamie glanced towards the young child. He frowned at seeing the worry on her face and followed her gaze.

Sophie was now holding Jack's free hand and pulling him around to different spots of the park, getting him to freeze the flowers protruding out of the ground. Jamie smiled a toothy grin and lightly nudged the girl next to him.

Evelyn jumped and snapped her head in the direction of Jamie, her raven black hair flying in her face as the wind suddenly picked up.

"It's okay. Sophie won't take Jack from you." Jamie assured her, giving her an encouraging smile.

Evelyn glanced back at the blonde girl and the Guardian before turning her swing to face Jamie completely. "How do you know?"

"Because Sophie likes the Easter Bunny more," He said simply, leaning back in his swing before gently kicking at the ground to get himself moving. "Trust me on that one."

The funny thing was, Evelyn did trust him. She hadn't known him for very long, but she already knew that he wasn't the type to lie. Yes, she was afraid (and somewhat jealous) of other kids being around Jack, but she knew that Jack would never replace her with any of them. She just had to believe that he loved her as much as she did him. He was like her big brother after all.

Evelyn pushed her hair aside and returned Jamie's smile. The girl pushed off the ground with her feet and held onto the swing as it started moving. Jamie broke the silence by saying that he was the best swinger in Burgess, to which Evelyn responded by betting that she could beat him.

The two continued their little competition, Evelyn's mind completely distracted from her earlier worries.

Jack paused momentarily while Sophie looked for the next flower and glanced towards the other two children. Both were at the playground and swinging as high as they could go; their laughter echoing to him from across the other side of the park.

The Winter Spirit smiled at seeing Evelyn having so much fun. He was worried about how she would handle being around other kids; and more importantly, how she would handle having other kids around him.

Jack knew how protective Evelyn could be over him. Every year when he had to leave for winter she would throw the biggest tantrums; doing everything in her power to keep him from leaving. She didn't like the thought of any children being around him.

"I still think I can beat you!" Jamie yells, grinning from ear to ear.

"Don't bet on it!" Came Evelyn's reply as she pumped her legs to make herself swing faster through the air. Jack smirked and leaned on his staff, crossing one foot over the other as he did so.

"Come on, Eve! You got this!" Jack cheered, jumping on to the crook of his staff and pumping his fist in the air. Evelyn's eyes widened and she looked at the Guardian. A wide grin stretched her pale pink lips and a new found determination lit up her amber eyes as she furrowed her brows in concentration.

"Go, Jamie!" Sophie shouted from beside Jack, temporarily forgetting about her flower hunt. The Winter Spirit and the blonde girl continued to cheer and clap for the other two.

Evelyn spared a glance to the boy on the other swing to find that he was looking back at her. They smirked at each other before turning their heads forward again. Evelyn huffed and kicked her legs forward, her cheeks puffing out and her face turning a faint shade of red as the swing lifted into the air.

Jamie shifted his gaze to his left, gasping in shock when he saw the other swing lift up higher than what should have been possible. Evelyn's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as the cloudy sky suddenly became quite visible. The swing paused when it reached the very top, only to plummet back down.

Evelyn squeezed her eyes shut and gripped onto the chains for dear life as she felt her stomach get left behind once the swing began doing full circles around the top bar.

Jack's eyes were just as wide as Evelyn's had been and Sophie's mouth was hanging open, her own green orbs following the dizzy motion of the swing. The Guardian watched in horror as the swing wrapped itself around the bar then flung the girl off and into the air.

Without wasting any time Jack jumped off his staff, wrapping his pale fingers around it before leaping into the wind and soaring towards the flailing body. Evelyn screamed and covered her face with her hands, drawing her legs into her chest as she awaited the splat she was sure would follow. Her side thudded into something soft and two colds things wrapped themselves around her.

Evelyn removed her hands and looked up, her amber orbs meeting icy blue ones. She smiled and wrapped her little arms around Jack, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

Jack sighed and tightened his grip on the girl before the wind lowered them to the ground. His feet had barely touched the ground when the other two children came racing over to meet them.

"Wow! That was so awesome!" Jamie started chattering away excitedly about what had just happened, but he was speaking way too fast for Jack to even try to comprehend what he was saying.

"Jamie…Jam-" Jack tried to get the attention of the thirteen year old but then Sophie joined in on the wild conversation, adding little bits to the boys story.

The Winter Spirit opened his mouth to speak, but he was once again cut off; but this time it was by someone else.

"Let's do it again!" Evelyn cried suddenly, letting go of the Guardians neck and holding her arms up. The two kids on the ground cheered in encouragement and Evelyn gave a laugh. Jack instantly smiled at hearing it. Her silvery laugh was like the sweetest melody and he could've listened to it all day, but unfortunately he had better things to be doing.

"Jamie, I have to get going now." Jack spoke up before he could get interrupted again. The brown haired boy pouted and turned to the Guardian.  
"Do you really have to?" Jamie asked in an almost whining tone. Sophie mimicked her brothers pout and crossed her arms.

"But, Jack...I still want to play..." Evelyn mumbled, her voice pleading. Jack bit the inside of his cheek as he thought. He knew that if he stayed any longer winter would be even more behind schedule, but it was also the first time Evelyn had ever met other children and he didn't want to spoil her fun. The spirit sighed and combed his fingers through his hair. His eyes widened as he suddenly had an idea and he grinned at the child clutching to his hoodie.

"Well, what if you stayed with Jamie and Sophie?"

Evelyn's eyes widened as she glanced between the siblings and the young guardian. "W-what?"

"Just until I'm finished with winter. Then I'll come and pick you up." Jack explained his idea, hoping that the girl would agree to it. If he could leave Evelyn with the Bennett's he'd be able to travel faster and not worry about the girl getting sick from the low temperatures.

"But Jack, what if my mum doesn't agree to it?" Jamie questioned, his eyebrows knit together in concern. Jack mimicked the young boys expression, realizing that there was a flaw with his plan.

"We can ask!" Sophie piped up, folding her hands and bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Come on, we'll go now!" Jamie agreed, beckoning for the Winter Spirit to follow the two as they ran down the footpath. Jack gave Evelyn a reassuring smile before letting the wind carry him across the road and towards the Bennett's house.

Evelyn tightened her grip on Jack's hoodie as she glanced in the direction of the unfamiliar home. She wasn't sure what to think of what was happening. Yes, she wanted to continue playing with Jamie, but she didn't want to stay with complete strangers. Jack leaving her behind at the North pole was bad enough, but at least she had people (or rather elves and yetis) that she knew there.

Jack landed softly on the porch just as the siblings opened the gate and ran to the front door. He watched with a bemused expression as the two bounded through the entrance and started yelling and calling out to their mother.

"You're gonna have to hop down now." Jack told the clinging girl.

"Why?" Evelyn questioned, stubbornly twisting her little fingers into the soft blue fabric.

"Because it would be a little weird for Jamie's mum to see a kid floating in the air." Jack insisted, chuckling at the thought. After much debating Evelyn sighed and released her grip, allowing the Winter Spirit to place her on her own two feet.

The two listened to the muffled conversation on the other side of the wall. Evelyn twiddled her thumbs nervously as her gaze shifted from the wooden porch beneath her and the front door which had swung back halfway after the earlier assault on it.

Sudden footsteps echoed through the house and the raven haired girl tensed as the two other children came back out, dragging another -much larger- person along with them.

"This is her!" Sophie announced giddily as she pointed eagerly to the nervous child backed into the corner of the railings.

Evelyn glanced over the new stranger who was obviously the sibling's parent. The woman looked to be in her mid-thirties; her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, she wore an apron over simple clothes with cream socks and her eyes shone with a kindness that Evelyn guessed only mother's had. She was slim yet curvy, wore silver half-mooned glasses and had the lightest dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

The woman smiled at the young girl and wiped her flour coated hands on her light blue apron. "Hello, you must be the famous Evelyn I've heard all about in the last five minutes," She chuckled before continuing. "I'm Jamie's and Sophie's mum."

Evelyn nodded hesitantly, not really sure if she was supposed to speak. The sibling's mother laughed quietly and walked over to the shy girl, giving her a kind smile as she knelt in front of her. "So I hear that you need a place to stay until your brother gets back?"

The girl's eyes widened ever so slightly as she glanced over the woman's shoulder, seeing Jamie giving her a thumbs up. She turned her eyes towards Jack, who simply gave her that signature crooked grin of his.

Evelyn turned back to the stranger in front of her, nodding slowly. "Well, you're more than welcome to stay with us. But I need a little bit more information on when you think your brother will be coming back." The lady replied, placing her hands on her knees.

The raven haired girl paused, biting her bottom lip as she tried to think of something.

"A week, at the most." Jack spoke up, perched on the top of the railing as he spun his staff. Evelyn gasped and spun to face the Winter Spirit, her jaw dropped and eyes wide with disbelief. A week? Could she really handle being in a house full of strangers for a week?

Jamie raised his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat, gesturing with his head towards his baffled looking mother once he had Evelyn's attention. Evelyn quickly closed her mouth and faced the parent in front of her, the heat spreading across her cheeks as she rubbed her forearm.

"He said about a week or so." Jamie answered for the nervous girl. She glanced in the boys direction, grateful that he'd erased the awkward silence.  
"Hmm. That's an awful long time to leave such a young girl with other people. What about her own family?" The woman questioned, standing to her full height before turning to face her son.

Jamie chewed the inside of his cheek as he glanced anywhere but at his mother, trying to think of something fast.

"Eve doesn't have a family!" Sophie blurted. Jamie paused and Evelyn could see from the corner of her eye that Jack had stiffened at the green-eyed girl's comment. Evelyn didn't like that someone she barely knew had used her nickname, but she didn't want to interrupt, so she just huffed and narrowed her amber eyes at the other girl.

"No family?" Their mother questioned, giving the siblings a suspicious look before crossing her arms under her chest.

"Erm...yeah. Eve's-" Evelyn's eye twitched in annoyance "-parents went away, so she only has her brother now." Jamie explained, shooting a discreet glare in Sophie's general direction.

"And just how old is her brother?" The lady questioned, brushing a strand of loose hair behind her ear as she gave Evelyn a worried look.

"Eighteen." Jamie and Sophie replied, earning raised eyebrows from both Jack and Evelyn. The Guardian chuckled and tapped the end of his staff on the side of the house, watching the frost crawl along the red wooden panels until it reached a nearby window.

Evelyn let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when she saw the adult visibly relax, her shoulders slumping forward just the slightest bit.

"Alright then. I guess you better come inside before you all get frostbite." Was the last thing Jamie's mother said before she retreated into the house.  
Jamie smiled and beckoned for Evelyn to come inside. Evelyn held her hand up, gesturing to give her five minutes. The boy nodded and grabbed Sophie's hand, pulling her inside and out of the cold.

Once the Bennett's were inside Evelyn turned to the Winter Spirit. Jack's lips twitched into the ghost of a smile as he slid off the railing and landed on the porch, his footsteps making no sound as he walked over to the shivering child.

"You'd better go inside before you catch a cold." He suggested, crouching in front of the girl and resting his staff against the side of his shoulder.  
Evelyn shook her head stubbornly. She wasn't shivering because she was cold -which she wasn't- but because she was afraid of the week she'd have to endure without seeing Jack. Sniffling, the girl half-stumbled, half-fell towards the young Guardian; clutching tightly to his soft blue hoodie as she buried her face in his chest.

Jack was taken by surprise and his staff fell from his grasp as he tried to regain his balance. The wooden stick clattered to the floor and Jack wrapped his arms loosely around the child, rubbing her back comfortingly. "You aren't crying, are ya?" The Spirit questioned, the earlier ghost of a smile turning into a full fledged one.

Evelyn sniffed again and rubbed at her eyes before pulling away and shaking her head. She would not cry. She was a big girl now and big girls didn't cry. Jack laughed quietly and pulled the girl into another hug, to which she happily accepted.

The older boy quickly trapped her in a headlock and noogied her on the head, making the usually straight black hair stand up in different directions. Evelyn squealed and pushed against Jack to escape, a laugh sounding from behind her lips as she fell backwards and landed on her butt. Jack laughed with her, ruffling her hair once more before grabbing his staff and standing up.

Evelyn stood as well and looked up to the retreating figure. "Only a week, right?"

The guardian laughed and spun on his heel to face the girl at the top of the steps. He continued walking backwards as he gave a wide grin and replied with, "Yep, so be ready by then, okay?"

Evelyn nodded and watched as he came closer to colliding with the fence behind him.

"And have fun!" He yelled before pushing off the ground and soaring up into the air, the heels of his feet just missing the top of the fence. Evelyn waited until the blue speck was completely out of sight before turning and taking slow, hesitated steps to the open door. She stopped just outside the doorway, twisting her hands nervously as she glanced from the bottom of the frame to inside the dimly lit house.

Evelyn had never been in a house before, except for that one time when she got to help North deliver some presents; and she learned the hard way that going down chimney's wasn't so easy when one had no special abilities.

Taking slow, deep breaths the child lifted her foot and stepped through the entrance.

* * *

**I think this is my longest one yet? So Evelyn was originally supposed to be nine in this, but I decided that it'd be better if she stayed six for now, because I have something big planned for when she turns nine.**

**Anyway, just a heads up, the next few chapters are going to be about some of the days she spends with the Bennett family, then we'll get back into the story.**

**And I want to ask you all something (yes, again, I'm a very curious person). Obviously I know where this story is going, but I was wondering if any of you can guess? Of course I'm not going to give out any of the details, but it would be fun to see what you can come up with. :)**


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